The puppet who got his facts mixed up.
(You can use any two puppets. A good way to use what you have if you don’t have the right puppet.)
Dog puppet. The dog who got his facts wrong.
Dog: Woof woof woof.
Me: Hello dog; what is your name.
Dog: Woof woof woof.
Me: Is that your name?
Dog: Woof woof woof.
What is your mother’s name?
Dog: Woof woof woof.
Me: How can your mother have the same name?
What did you have for breakfast?
Dog; Woof, woof, woof.
Me: Dog are you reading your Bible.
Dog: Woof, woof woof.
Aunty Eliza, what is wrong with this dog. I don’t understand him.
Eliza: He is talking dog language.
Me: Oh my, do we have anyone here that understands dog language?
Eliza: I will go and get the whispering bird. He speaks every language.
Me: Hello whispering bird.
What is dog saying?
(Bird whispers in my ear)
Me: Dog is saying that he is in the Bible. His great , great… grandfather spoke to
Balaam because Balaam was hitting him. God made him talk to a human.
Me: Dog, where in the Bible does it say that? Show me!
Dog: Looks in the Bible. Reads with his head shaking. Then runs and hides.
Me: Dog got it all wrong. We must always see if what people tell us about the Bible is true. Look here in Numbers 22: 28 “And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and he said to Balaam. “What have I done to you that you have struck me these 3 times?”
Come back here dog. You were not telling the truth. You made a mistake. Jesus forgives you. We checked it up and now we all know the truth.
Dog: Woof, woof, woof.
THE FROG STORY
If you have a frog puppet or a frog toy or a frog picture, you can teach this:
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Men judge by outward appearance, but I look at a man’s heart” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Matthew 16:23 You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.
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| Please kiss me. |
The frog’s story:
“Booo hooo…!” The frog is crying his eyes out. He does not want to be a frog! He hates his life. He hates his skin! He is too fat! His feet are too big. He wants to be a prince. So you try to comfort frog and tell him that God made him and there is a special reason for him to be here.
But frog knows better.
What happened to the frog in the story books when a princess kisses him? Yes, he turns in to a prince. So now frog points to a girl to come and kiss him. We belong to the King of kings so we are all princes and princesses. We bring a girl up to kiss the frog. Nothing happens. He cries his eyes out again. The girl tells him she loves him anyway and he is a special frog.
This makes frog very happy. We tell him we love him because Jesus made him.
He can croak and we cant.
We are all unhappy about something on our bodies or who we are. We often want to be something or someone we are not. The children would give anything to be famous and have lots of money (Did I say the children?) Point out to them the end of so many famous people. (Michael Jackson and now Whitney Houston.) Without Jesus we are without God and our lives are empty. Fame and money does not bring happiness.
I had just read Ecclesiastes. Without God everything is meaningless and like chasing the wind. (See Eccl 7:14)
Then Matt 13:17 “..many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. They longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”
The author, Solomon, did not know God’s plan with Jesus. We do.
Then read Psalm 139:13-18 to the children. God has ordained every day of my life even before I was born. That is why my life has meaning.
God has good plans for my life. He plans Jesus for my life! Some people die for Jesus, some people are rich for Jesus (to give it away for His glory). Always His plan for you is to have Jesus, and that is a good plan in all circumstances. We are only visitors here. Our true home is heaven. If you are a frog, be a frog for Jesus.
Jesus loves me!
Puppet workshop (as I prepared it for a talk at a Chatsworth
combined church meeting of Sunday school teachers. January 2012)
Puppet workshop
How special to be here; standing before my sisters and brothers in Christ. I believe you are Sunday school teachers. That means you have all stood before Jesus and said “Here I am Lord, use me!”
To teach Sunday school is not a light decision. The Bible says we will be judged more harshly.
We have blank pages in front of us in children, and we are writing on them. (Children.)
It is a Friday evening and you are here at the church, seeking the Lord because you love him and love the children He has put in your care.
“Love the Lord your God…..” Because of this, the Word of God burns in our hearts and we have to share it.
We have Jesus and we want others to have Jesus!!
“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? (Matthew 16:26)
“I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. (1 Cor. 9:23)
“I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.” (1 Cor. 9:22)
This is where the puppets, plays, acting, songs come in because they are being used as the means to win children to Christ. The great commission!
One thing that is always most important with whatever means I use, is that the word of God is being used. For it is the word that will not return empty and not anything I say or do.
Therefore it is vital, of the utmost importance that I live intimately with Jesus and in His Word. By living and knowing and obeying His word I know that He will direct my steps.
NB We must pray for our children. Intercede for them. Plead for them! For it is God’s will that all be saved and when we pray for the children’s salvation; God will answer!
Most of my plays and puppet shows are based on salvation.
Puppets and props– What is Christianity. Kids should know!
A must for every puppeteer: practise in front of the mirror!!!!!
1. They don’t have to be fancy. (Think of the advertisement “More ching-ching, less wara- wara where two bare hands are used) Here I have two rulers and two plane cardboard people
Something concrete to explain with.
Adam and Eve in perfection with God. (hold the two rulers together as one. Move a torch (represents God)from the top of the ruler which is heaven, to the bottom of the ruler where the 2 cardboard figures are. No separation
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| No separation between man and God. |
Sin. (Now turn the one ruler across the other to form a cross. The cardboard figures cannot pass the crossbar to get to God. They are separated.)
Restoration: Jesus.
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| Jesus, the visible image of the invisible God. Colossians 1:15 |
Restored to God. (When Jesus dies the cross bar returns to form one ruler.) “It is done.”
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| “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,..(Acts 16:33) |
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2. Socks. Black and white. (Verses:
Black sock:
Colossians 1: 21
This includes you who were once far away from God.
You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.
White sock:
Colossians 1: 22
Yet now He has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in His physical body.
As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.
:23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.
Philippians 4:8
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and Honourable,
and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable.
Think about things that are excellent and worthy
of praise. Keep putting into practice all you have
learnt and received….
Think of Siamese twins.
Black sock is the old nature.
White sock if you have Jesus: new nature.
Only at death do these two natures separate totally.
If you don’t read your Bible and obey, watch ungodly movies or play ungodly games, swear etc the black sock is up. (arm wrestling.)
Abide in the Lord, read your Bible and obey what it says and the white sock is up.
3 A white cloth, a torch: represents God who is Spirit and cannot be seen.
Turn the cloth over and we have ‘Jesus’ (A puppet head with the white cloth as body.). This is to bring home the oneness of Jesus and God. See photos above with rulers.
4 Hand puppets (Do dog who got his facts wrong.) Dog and Bird puppets.
The pointer finger goes in to its head, the thumb and the middle finger becomes its arms.
Look at your puppet in the mirror.
Puppets can hook arms together and dance. Work out a dance. They can lean heads against each other. Pull back and forward.
(Let queen and king puppet dance to music.)
They can scratch their heads. They can hold both arms behind their heads.
Practice and see for yourself what emotions they portray when doing certain things.
Every puppet show must lead the children to the Bible and they must walk away with a verse.
Some puppets operate by putting hands in to the beak or mouth..
5. Children can be used as puppets.
If I touch your head I want you to open your mouth. If I take my hand off your head, I want you to close your mouth.
You can use a voice or song and ‘maneuver the child’s mouth as if he is a puppet talking.”
Never use a child who is shy and does not want to be used as puppets. They are normally very happy to use a hand puppet which takes the lime light off them.
6.. Marionettes: (Let ‘Savie’ dance)
The reason his name is ‘Savie’ is because he is saved.
The reason his face is white and his nose is red and he is a clown.
The red is for the blood of Jesus. The white for being cleansed. The clown is because of the joy Jesus gives. He wants others to be happy too. (You can use this concept with any clown puppet or even while painting the face of a child or a picture of a clown.)
I love these puppets. I have one with verses pinned on him, ready for “take off”. He is “looking” at me as I write. They can be made to portray so many emotions just by hanging their heads, or bending their knees. A delight to get them to dance.
My best memories of this puppet is while teaching atBluffChristianAcademy. The children from grade nought to grade twelve would come and recite verses from the Bible as this allowed them to see Savie the clown perform a dance. Savie hung limb until he heard the word of God and would then be prepared to dance.
Each puppet of course has its own history and character.
The verses stuck to Savie can be used with any of the puppets. They are answers to the most common problems the children came up with repeatedly.
We kept a prayer box with pen and paper where the children were invited to deposit their prayers in to so that we would pray for them.
The idea is to bring to the children’s attention that every problem we have is answered in the Bible. Jesus is not a Sunday occurrence. He walks with you every step of the way and He cares for you and He loves you. The Bible is God’s word and it was written for our every day lives.
Most asked questions and answers: What does God’s Word say?
I have someone I know whom I really do not like. This is a horrible person and makes life very hard for me.
Matthew 5:44
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.
What must I do if someone starts trouble with me? They say ugly things about me and to me?
A gentle answer deflects anger,
but harsh words make tempers flare.
(Proverbs 15:1)
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
(Proverbs 15:1)
I am so tired of my mother complaining about my room that is in a mess, why can’t she just leave me alone. It is my room!
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace,..
(1 Corinthians 14:3)
“Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. (Colossians 3:20)
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I won’t get married one day. How will I know if it is the right person for me?
Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers.
How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness?
How can light live with darkness?
(2 Corinthians 6:14)
Some subjects are so boring and so hard. I don’t like doing them. Why should I?
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
(Colossians 3; 23)
Life is not fair!
In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing so that no one can speak a word of blame against you.
(Philippians 2:14)
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Swearing; is it so wrong? Surely it is just words?
Dirty stories, foul talk and coarse jokes – these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God’s goodness and be thankful.
(Ephesians 5:4)
“Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
(Matthew 15: 11)
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Workshop with the puppets for adults
Each of you will be presented with a puppet. (If there is a shortage of puppets then use socks (clean ones, obviously) or your hand.
Have a good look at your puppet. Study it’s character. Name it. Decide on a voice for it.
Now I want you to pretend that you are at an ‘AA’ meeting. Your puppet will introduce himself with his name you have chosen for him and speaking with your puppet voice. Now I want your puppet to confess a problem you have with your walk with Jesus.
(This exercise will be based on James 5: 16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”)
E.g. Sometimes it is hard to be loving and patient at home and we need prayer to help us be better examples of God’s love at home. Or you are too busy and not spending enough time at the feet of Jesus. Whatever the Spirit moves you to share, share.
The other puppets react Word based.
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Glenda Kemp-Harper: Past, Present and Future... 